George Allan
A small group, which included a representative of NEMT, visited Coire Cas in August to assess the continuing impact of the work undertaken last year, much of which was of poor quality and some of which was illegal. It is good to report that restoration work and Mother Nature has led to vegetation becoming established and the detrimental visual consequences are lessening; however, there are still unsightly piles of boulders and evidence of pits and scrapped vegetation.
NEMT has been pressing for a clear-up of discarded equipment and infrastructure and it is good to see that action is being taken at last with work underway in August. Whether all rubbish will be removed has yet to be seen but, at the time of writing, real improvements are being made. As with most things at Cairngorm, positive comments come with qualifications. It appeared to be agreed that old lift infrastructure high on the mountain would be dismantled by hand and removed by helicopter but no- heavy plant is being used with consequent damage to soil. The contractor is McGowans, the same contractor whose cavalier approach left Coire Cas in a state last year.
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| Foundations and boulder - will these be removed? ©George Allan |
'Save the Ciste', a campaign led by local skiers and business interests, is planning to lodge a community buyout bid for the land owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise which contains the ski area. This move reflects long term dissatisfaction with the whole management of the area and the subsequent decline in investment. NEMT is in contact with this campaign and has asked to be kept involved. The idea of a bid has merits but it is essential that environmental considerations are central to any future initiatives. Plans for developments include restoring ski uplift in Coire na Ciste. NEMT has yet to form a view on the desirability of these early proposals.
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